Zilla Sake Reviews

I am so excited to find this little gem! The intricate details were perfect. The staff was amazing, and of course the food. The sushi! I can't wait to go back! and the whole menu is Gluten free.

Do read the information on the website about how this amazing place came to be and about Kate Koo. The servers are wonderful. They will help lead you to sushi and sake heaven. 🍣 There are so many options the salads are so delicious. The 4 of us tried so many fun choices. My favorite was the warm Eel. Do go have a food adventure. Try lots of things. We're planning on going back again. There was so much we didn't get to try. Cheers

Zilla is a small, cozy Sushi spot on Alberta - a great street! I had an assortment of Nigiri - the chef has a personal menu listing each night with special sushi that he has chosen. The fish was so fresh and sweet tasting! Love this little gem!

It's five stars for the quality of food, 5 stars for recommendation and 5 stars for service. But don't talk business at the sushi counter and container sizes at the sushi counter. Other sales people want to get away from sales when they visit Zilla and enjoy their meals.

I've been to Zilla twice in two weeks. The fish is fresh, presented well, simple, delicate, and did I say outrageously delicious! The service is dead on and the place has a cool vibe. Zilla is kid friendly, but feels more adult than family time to me. Maybe because I went both times without my daughter. They have an extensive sake list and a simple menu. This is not a California roll place, this is the place to go for the real thing. Enjoy!

They didn’t have tuna! (They had a shipping error or something). The salmon was tasty and fresh, sake, seaweed salad were good. A little expensive. Service was slow at the sushi counter even though it wasn’t crowded.

This is the best traditional sushi in Portland and my top 3 world-wide. Zilla serves simple, traditional sushi presented in an Alberta Arts vibe. Their sake list is extensive and interesting. I knew I'd miss Zilla when I moved to Australia, but I didn't realize how much. The place is pitch perfect. Don't let the cool vibe fool you - zilla is dead serious about quality food, drink and service. The clientele is hip, relaxed and regular. Always a good time. Oscar is rad. He is attentive in an unobstrusive way and the man knows his sake. Have him set you up with a sake flight customized to your liking. I've tasted some amazing sake including a delicious 'live' or raw sake which had an efervescent texture like kombucha tea. Nice nigori selection, too. They have barley beer and cocktails which are unique and tasty. Their hijiki seaweed salad is phenomenal - not fishy or slimy at all. Tastes light and healthy with a fantastic texture and a nice kick. Haven't found it anywhere else. The kitchen always pays close attention to make sure it's just right, and often makes it fresh to order. Kate, sushi chef extraoirdinnaire, keeps the sushi traditional and tantalizing. Just look in the case and you'll see the outstanding quality. Everything she makes is outstanding. When available, Sashimi Omakase is the way to go. Let Kate take care of you and relax into a memorable culinary experience. The whole team at Zilla does a great job without trying too hard. Service does slow down when it gets busy but that is expected from a small place. Don't be shy, get friendly with the staff and let them know what you need. They're good people. See conversation starters below. Zilla doesn't do much in the way of desert (yet?) but that's what Random Order is for, right next door. That's my #2 favorite place in Portland. Conversation starters: Oscar is a DJ and hails from Yaqui heritage. Kate has perfect pitch and occasionally teaches cooking classes around town. Kate hates the Beatles.

Stopped by for sushi dinner and I was very happy with my sushi and my wasabi gimlet. My family had some hard time finding their choices as basic stuff like salmon was missing on the menu. So me being fully satisfied plus family being not too happy = 4 points

This is a great little place in a cute little artsy district. Very friendly staff. The sushi was delicious, and the miso soup is one of the best I have had. The zilla rice is highly recommended. I will go back again next time I'm in Portland.

We went to Zilla Sake house (instead of Nimble Fish) based upon a review from Saveur. We went for an early dinner. Cool, quite place. Good attentive service. Sushi and fish are just average... Somewhat of a fishy smell upon entering the restaurant. We ordered four different rolls - ranging from the Zilla to salmon skin... Solid sushi but we can't say they are among the best we have tasted. Cool area of east Portland, though

Absolutely ruined me for other sushi. It was incredible. My friends and I did the omakase. Is it expensive? Sure. But with tip included and the number of dishes and the quality you get, it’s worth the splurge here and there.

This is the epitome of fresh. This sushi can't be beat. Sam is also very skilled and knowledgeable. The miso soup is delicious. Will return again and again!

Excellent service, excellent food! Fun neighborhood. Would recommend for a date night or lunch with friends!

This place is in a neighborhood I'd never expect to see...Their sushi is nice and fresh and their knowledge in sake is interesting...even down to their wasabi, they truly take pride in their dish and menu. Nice!

With Portland's love for lines, I don't understand how there isn't one wrapped around the block for Zilla. This is the best sushi in Portland and compares to the best I've had anywhere. Sit at the bar, choose omakase and just enjoy the sushi and sake!

Top notch sushi and sake experience. Sit at the bar and take it all in. Great warm dry sake at a fair price for starters. Small plate Chef Selection with a CA roll was wonderful for my wife and I - yellowfin, ahi, scallops and albacore. My wife loved the sake. 8 oz portion warmed up is the way to go. No wait on a Saturday night. Reminded me of living in Taiwan & Japan. Authentic!

On a two night stay in Portland (at the wonderful, one of a kind Caravan Tiny House hotel just down the street), we went here on the recommendation of a local sake distributor we happened to meet, and then returned the second night. A low-key, welcoming atmosphere, an amazing, deep selection of sakes, and some of the freshest, most beautifully presented sushi and sashimi we've had anywhere in the country! They also serve the first and only authentic wasabi we've ever had, grown in Oregon and grated by hand. If sushi is important to you, and you find yourself in Portland, you must go to Zilla!

I've eaten sushi all over the world, starting in Vancouver BC, Tokyo, Okinawa, and all over the US. We had the Omikase at Zilla last night. Creative, beautiful, flavorful and satisfying. The service was friendly and terrific. We all enjoyed it immensely. I would go back in a minute.

We stumbled upon this place last night in my neighborhood and wondered why we hadn't been before. It is now my new fave place to dine. It happened to be my birthday and these folks were incredible. Treated us like movie stars. It would stand on the food alone, but the sake selection and education, super cozy space and the over the top service was such a lovely present! We ordered a bunch of sushi and everything was SO fresh. Really melted in the mouth. And they use real wasabi. You can absolutely tell the difference. I can walk here from home and will be doing this quite often, I can assure you.

We had one of our best evenings in Portland at this restaurant! A week after visiting I am still thinking about the delicious Hijiki salad appetizer! The owner took the time to teach us about the making of sake and we tasted a few delicious varieties. Service was attentive and friendly. Can't wait to go back!

I love all things Japanese, especially sake, sushi and ramen. There are plenty of all three in Portland. But, no surprise, they vary enormously in quality and authenticity. I have visited several of the most frequently reviewed sushi restaurants and have until now been less than impressed. In fact I recently wrote a very bad review of one of the cities more highly-rated places. So imagine my surprise when I finally tried a place that is walking distance from where I have lived for nine months now. Zilla is excellent. The sushi and sashimi were perfection. Fresh, delicate, presented elegantly but without fuss or the usual cliches of American sushi bars. The sake list is expertly chosen, nicely explained and while a little over-priced understandable for a small place with a limited number of seats. The happy hour menu could be a little more extensive but that's a very minor complaint about a place I thought was my best Japanese experience in Portland so far. I will be back. Often.

Tried the "Flight of Japan" sake taster tray of 5 different sushis, well-selected by folks on a mission to spread a gospel that sake has flavors and variety sufficient to compete with wines and other liquors. The sushi itself was excellent, quite fresh albacore sashimi straight out of the ocean. Oddly, the most intriguing twist was the wesabe - local grown, with a distinctive character (and honestly, who even thinks twice about the quality of their wesabe?). The ambience itself is a Portland hipster vibe - worth a trip to an easily overlooked destination. (Hint: when finished, head over about a block away to Salt & Straw and get yourself some unique ice cream creations...)

We ate here on Day Two of our five day stay in Portland and our ambitious goal to try new areas and food choices every night. The Zilla Sake House is located in the Alberta Arts District was great place to meet some friends for dinner. Our usual dinner fare is some type of beef and a wine but tonight we enjoyed sushi and rolls and a lot of them. Our waiter suggested a sake rather than wine and we thoroughly enjoyed the chilled sake. Also enjoyed seeing a woman sushi chef. Very rare and very quick with the knife.

We came for sushi and sake. The sushi was very good (especially the uni). The atmosphere is casual and was pretty relaxed the night we were there. The sake by the glass list was extensive and we found a couple of new favorite sakes.

Recommended by the hotel. My wife & I went to the restaurant looking for a decent Japanese dinner. We had the omakase for two. I have had Japanese meals all over the US, this meal was the best. The seafood was fresh and the presentation was great. The staff was equal to the food. Wish they branch into the San Francisco area. Can't wait to go back to Portland just to eat at Zilla.

My wife and I went and had a great time talking to the owner and staff and the Sushi is top notch, truly. The owner is like - super passionate sushi expert. You get to put your own glass to keep it there if you like, for when you sample the liquor or Sake. We enjoyed the explanation of different women who have broke in to the Sake making industry and the sake sampler. Nice atmosphere.

What an experience. A very small place that takes reservations. Very knowledgeable staff on both the sushi and sake side. We tried a "flight" of sake which gave us a wide sampling of flavors. We had miso and I highly recommend the deluxe version with squid jerky, several different rolls and nigiri. Logan was our server and was friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable. Thank you so much Logan!!

Waiter was way too cool. We really wanted sushi and had heard this place was great. Not a very extensive selection, as it turned out, and what they did have was very expensive. The waiter didn’t even bother to tell us which was which when he brought the rolls we ordered. Will never go back even though this place is in my neighborhood.

Zilla is my go to sushi spot. Kate, Jeff, and crew always do an amazing job and the fish is outstanding. Not to mention a fantastic sake list. As someone who has worked in sushi, I am quite particular about the quality of fish and it is rare to have sushi of this quality outside of Japan. Do yourself a favor and have dinner here.

Hey was visiting for the weekend and heard this place was great but I'd have to disagree... the portions were small, not very tasty, and even seemed a little pricier than I would consider typical. The waiter didn't even refill our water while we waited for food which seemed to take way too long.